1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to coin operated amusement devices, and, more particularly, to apparatus for providing free play of the device in response to a certain time delay after actuation of the device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Coin operated entertainment and amusement apparatus serve business entities in two primary respects. The first respect is that they provide additional revenue to the proprietor of the establishment in which they are located in addition to the revenue for which the establishment is primarily operated, such as the sale of food and/or beverages. In the second respect, such apparatus provide entertainment for customers or clients of the establishments in which they are located. A third benefit, which, while not directly related to the first two named benefits, and perhaps not directly related to the two primary purposes, is the function of advertising. In some devices, advertising space on the device is illuminated during the time in which the device is in operation. Obviously, the more the device is in operation, the more entertainment is provided and the more revenue is derived from the operation of the device.
For the reasons given in the preceding paragraph, it is to the advantage of the proprietor of the establishment in which the coin operated device is installed to encourage maximum time utilization of the device. That is, the proprietor of the establishment benefits from the revenue generated by the device while the device is in use, and the customers of the establishment benefit by the entertainment provided by the device. It is therefore desirable to encourage customers to use the coin operated devices as much as possible.
One way in which use of a device may be encouraged is to provide, under certain circumstances, a free play. The free play occurs under certain circumstances, usually dependent upon a predetermined time interval or period after the latest, or last, use of the device. After a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the device was used, an opportunity is presented for a so-called free play of the device.
Such free play apparatus is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,610, patented Aug. 16, 1966. The apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,610 comprises electromechanical apparatus for providing a free play of a coin operated machine. The apparatus comprises a plurality of relays controlled by an electromechanical timer. The actuation or energizing of the relays is accomplished in accordance with predetermined time periods controlled by the timer. The timer includes various contacts which are made and broken in response to the predetermined time periods and in turn provide for the energization and de-energization of the various relays.
The use of such electromechanical apparatus, using a plurality of relays, is subject to the well-known and well-understood problems of cost, size, and mechanical wear with the attendant problem of potential failure.
The apparatus of the present invention comprises solid state circuitry which substantially eliminates the problems of the prior art, as enumerated in the preceding paragraph. The present invention accordingly may be made smaller, less expensive, and more reliable, due to the use of such solid state electronic components and elements.